What About Immigrants?

 What About Immigrants?

Every American has immigrant roots—we are an immigrant nation, filled with diversity of all sorts.

Laws and regulations govern the process of admission. Our process became overrun by a lack of capacity to give timely attention to immigrants. That is not the immigrant’s fault. It is the fault of Congress and the President, who failed to budget and appropriate properly.

Immigrants are an essential part of the US workforce. Working immigrants don’t steal jobs; they fulfil a need. They pay taxes and add to economic growth and prosperity. Their benefit outweighs the burden.

The US Constitution Article 14 ensures birthrights for people born in the USA.

The Trump Administration and the Corrupted Republican Congress are in violation of US Laws and Regulations and International Agreements. The Court is also corrupted and democracy and freedom are no longer assured.

The US is a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:

       Article 1

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Article 2

Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

Article 3

Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Article 4

No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

Article 5

No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Article 6

Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.

Article 7

All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.

Article 8

Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.

Article 9

No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

Article 10

Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.

Who do You Trust?

From multiple reliable sources and eyewitnesses, it appears that President Trump remains combative with his own administration and divisive Congress, as well as the Courts. He appears as a one-man band who is corrupted and compromised on all fronts. Who can believe him? Who can trust him? Do you?

Ask me questions and I will discuss.

Foreseen, Predictable, Unfolding Disaster

Many Americans, over half, including the Democratic Congress, foresaw a weak administration, lacking experience in top positions, a cadre of loyal tv celebrities, chosen by the President to go along with his authoritarian style. The results would be chaos from not following the rule of law and deviating from Constitutional norms, unchecked by the Republican majority. The hour is upon the nation where Trump holds the cards and the lives of 40,000 soldiers in his command as he ponders striking Iran’s core nuclear facility because Israel cannot do the job. 

Well, maybe they can, though it will take longer. Maybe Israel alone can knock off the Ayatollah. Then what. Iran will not be leaderless in chaos, as the Iranians would cope with producing new ones. In a nation state in which people have been deprived of autonomy for a long time, regime change will not be automatic. In a war-torn nation with many terrorist proxies at large, there is no knock-out punch. 

Supporting Israel’s efforts to degrade and destroy Iran’s nuclear capability is in the cards. The question is, does the Trump government have the capability to guide and lead the process?

New York Magazine

Follow Me!

 Tomorrow, June 14, I will celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the US Army, to which I once belonged. Probably, soldiers would prefer to have the day off, except their commander-in-chief wants to exploit the event to celebrate his birthday.

Since authoritarian Trump has absconded with our freedom and right to protest, we will remind him that We the People do not want him as our King. We would like him to do his work humbly, though that is impossible. 

Rejoice as we reject a king and embrace the US Army. Follow Me!

The Proper Way to Enforce Immigration Law

(I wrote the Management Approach for Securing America for ManTech International and Homeland Security’s first Director, Tom Ridge.)

“U.S. immigration law, governed primarily by the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), sets the framework for legal immigration, encompassing family reunification, skills-based immigration, humanitarian protections, and diversity. The INA allows for the issuance of up to 675,000 immigrant visas annually, with no limit on family members of U.S. citizens. Refugees and those seeking other forms of immigration must also navigate specific processes and visa categories.”

https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/how-united-states-immigration-system-works

“DHS's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) duties are carried out through more than 400 federal statutes and focus on smart immigration enforcement, humane detention, preventing terrorism, and combating the illegal movement of people and goods.” 

https://www.dhs.gov/topics/immigration-and-customs-enforcement#:~:text=DHS's%20Immigration%20and%20Customs%20Enforcement,movement%20of%20people%20and%20goods.

The Problem:

“There are an estimated 11.7 million undocumented immigrants in the United States, according to The Center for Migration Studies of New York. This represents about 3.3% of the total US population, according to the American Immigration Council. Estimates vary slightly, but the general consensus is around 11 million to 11.7 million.”

https://cmsny.org/us-undocumented-population-increased-in-july-2023-warren-090624/#:~:text=Total%20Undocumented%20Population%20In%202023,%2D2001%20(Figure%202).

The Management Approach:

1. 'Stop the bleeding
   
   Secure the border: Congress must appropriate sufficient resources to stop or reduce the flow of illegal immigrants.

“Key Points:

• Increased Flow: Encounters with unauthorized immigrants along the US southern border have significantly increased in recent years.
• Labor Market Influence: The increase in illegal immigration across the US southern border appears to be largely driven by labor market demand in the US economy.
• Spikes and Declines: While border crossings spiked at the end of 2023, they have seen a dramatic decline in early 2025, reaching some of the lowest levels in decades.
• Shifting Origins: While Mexico traditionally accounted for the largest share of unauthorized immigrants, there has been a noticeable diversification of origins in recent years. There are now increases in unauthorized populations from Central America, South America, the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia.
• Factors Influencing Declines: The recent decrease in border crossings may be attributed to new restrictions implemented by the US administration and increased enforcement efforts by Mexican officials.
• Total Undocumented Population: The total undocumented population in the US saw an increase in 2023, reaching about 11.7 million. This estimate is still below the peak of 12 million reached in 2008. The undocumented population had steadily declined between 2008 and 2020 before increasing again in 2022 and 2023.”

Illegal Immigration WIKI

2. Clear the backlog: Congress must appropriate sufficient resources to process illegal cases to categorize those who are qualified to stay, and to determine who should be forgiven, such as “dreamers,” and who should be returned to their place of origin based on an assessment of danger to them. That is a process governed by laws and regulations and cannot be short-circuited by illegal presidential directives.